Click on the Google Preview image above to read some pages of this book!

"Metropolitan Governance "offers a cross-national analysis of contemporary issues and challenges for the governing of urban regions throughout Europe and North America. The authors develop an analytical framework focused on the dynamics of place, building on the premise that issues of metropolitan governance are best understood by focusing not only on the characteristics of the local government systems and of state society relations, but also on the dynamics of place. They argue that area-wide governance in urban regions can draw on flexible networks and involve public-private partnerships as well as requiring institutional region. This book includes chapters focusing on Germany, Spain, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, the UK, Switzerland and North America and places particular emphasis on democratic legitimacy and the tensions that arise when strengthening the capacity of metropolitan governance. An original contribution to the debates on the nature of metropolitan governance, this book puts forward the argument that 'place matters'. It will be of interest to all students and researchers of public administration and urban research.